Chapter X: Remembrance of Death
The errors of the Sufis are strong. There are many classes of Sufis. One kind of Sufis adopt the habits of real Sufis in dress, in character and conduct and in outward forms, breaths with heave sigh and sit like thoughtful men but they fall into such erroneous beliefs that they think that they became real Sufis, while the cannot purify their minds from open sins and enjoy unlawful and doubtful properties. An illustration is given below to show the conduct of this sort of Sufis. A certain weak old man put on the dress of a soldier, came to the king's darbar to be enlisted as a soldier. The king, however, examined him and be was found weak and unfit for acting as a soldier. So he removed his name and ordered him to be killed for his foolishness. Such is the case of the above Sufis. God will, not see their ress but the conditions of mind.
Another kind of Sufis fall into more error. They want to be Sufis and put on valuable yellow dress. They eat delicious food, remain busy with enyoyments and accept the presents of oppressive rulers. Another kind of Sufis claim that they have crossed all spiritual knowledges and Maqmas, seen truth with open eyes and got close to God. They learn something of Ma'arfat and teach them to others. Another kind of Sufis become free from the rules of Shariat. They disobey the rules of Shariat. To them lawful and unlawful things are the same. Some of them believe that God does not look to their actions. Another class of Sufis obey the outward forms of religion but do not follow
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God-reliance and other attributes. Another class of Sufis walk in the ways of Ma'arfat and when they see any light in their minds they stop then and do not proceed further thinking that they have attained perfection. This is an erroneous belief. They are just like a man who goes to serve the king but halts at seeing ship beautiful garden and spends all the times without going to the place of the king. There are seventy screens of God. If he reaches only one screen, he thinks he has attained his object. The Quran says of Abraham. When the night cume over him, he saw a star and said. This is my Lord — 6:76Q. By the star,. the star of the sky has not been meant as Abraham was seeing it from his earliest years but he came to know that it is not a deity to be worshipped.
This means the screen of light. A sojourner in the paths of religion sees so many screens of light to cross them to see the Divine light as God says : In this way, 1 showed Abraham to secrets of the kingdom of heaven and earth — 6:75Q. The first screen which falls between a servant and God is the screen of soul which is a light out of the lights of God. It is called essence of heart or subtle thing of heart (Latifa) and in it are reflected the full particulars of soul.
It can entertain the whole world as it reflects thetrue nature of each thing.
THE ERRONEOUS BELIEFS OF THE RICH